Glossary Of Terms

Academic Advisor A faculty or staff member appointed to assist a student in planning his or her academic career.

Advising Report (AR) A degree progress report that indicates requirements completed as well as those that need to be completed. This document matches a student’s academic history against their declared academic program requirements.

Class Number A unique four-digit number assigned to each course/section listed in the schedule of classes. It is the number used in the registration system for the purpose of adding, dropping, or changing the grade basis.

Class Schedule A listing of the courses being taken by an individual student each term.

Corequisite (Coreq) A course that must be completed prior to, or during the same term as, another course. For example, Biology 120 has a coreq of Math 141.

Course A particular topic being studied. A course is comprised of a Subject and a Catalog number. For example, Biology 120 is a course.

Curriculum Those classes prescribed or outlined by an institution for completion of a program of study.

Developmental Studies Courses designed to help students improve basic skills in the areas of reading, writing, and study skills. Consult an advisor or the Developmental Studies office for further information.

Department An academic unit of the University which offers instruction in a particular branch of knowledge, such as the Department of Music.

Elective A course which students may select from a list within their academic program or from the course catalog as a whole (as opposed to a required course, which must be taken).

Emphasis An approved set of courses within a major that define a specialty area or specific field of study. For example, Advertising is an emphasis within the Journalism major.

Equivalent Courses Courses whose content overlaps with one another. For example, if a student takes Sociology 270, credit cannot also be earned for African American Studies 270 because the course material is similar.

Extracurricular Activities Activities which are part of student life but not part of a student’s academic program are extracurricular activities. Participation in Athletics, Student Government, and other campus organizations are examples of this.

Fee A charge the University requires for certain services.

Good Academic Standing In order to remain in good academic standing at UW-Whitewater, a student must have a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or above. Some colleges and/or programs may require a GPA above 2.00 in order to remain in their programs.

Hold Holds can be placed on a student’s account by various departments on campus. Holds may consist of academic advising restrictions, financial obligations, or other specified requirements. A registration hold is any restriction that prevents registration. Many students will have an academic advising hold placed on their records; this hold is released only after completing an advising appointment. Failure to follow the advising process may result in the inability to register at the assigned enrollment start date and time. These holds can also prevent the release of official transcripts.

ID Card The University provides students with a HawkCard (University ID Card). The HawkCard contains the name of the University, the student’s name and photo, and a bar code and electronic encoding of the student’s ID number. The HawkCard will be used during the entire time students are enrolled at UW-Whitewater. It can be used for proof of enrollment, if required, which entitles a student to a number of special privileges and services. A fee is assessed for all replacement cards. For more information about the HawkCard policies and available services, visit the UW-Whitewater HawkCard web page.

Major The subject or field of study in which a student specializes. For example, students planning to specialize in mathematics will major in that field. Students choosing to specialize in two subjects will have a double major.

Minor A field of secondary emphasis. The total number of units required in the minor field is typically less than that required for the major.

Prerequisite (Prereq) A requirement or set of requirements that must be met before taking a particular course. For example, English 101 is a prereq of English 102. Not all prerequisites are courses; prerequisites can consist of other obligations and conditions.

Registration The act of enrolling in classes. Registration involves selecting classes with the help of an advisor and submitting the enrollment requests via the WINS system.

Required Courses Courses designated by the University as necessary for completion of a program.

Schedule of Classes A list of all the courses to be offered by the University during a specific term.

Section Number A number used to distinguish one class from another. A course may offer several classes or sections at various times throughout the day or week. Sections that include the letter ‘X’ or ‘H’ are reserved sections for select populations of students, such as those in Learning Communities or the Honors Program, and are not available to all students. (Example: English 101 section 6.)

Subject A subject is a particular area of study in which the University offers courses, such as English, French, Mathematics, or Geology.

Term Hour A term hour is generally a 50-minute period of instruction per week for a term. A three-term hour course would meet for three 50-minute periods each week for a term. Laboratory or activity periods are counted differently in the total hours for a course.

Undergraduate A student seeking a bachelor’s degree or who has been admitted as an undergraduate for the purpose of taking classes for enrichment.

Unit Load The total number of units for which a student is registered in a term.

Units The terms ‘units’ and ‘credits’ can be used interchangeably to describe recognition by a college or university that a course of studies has been successfully completed.

Unrequisite (unreq) A course for which credit cannot be earned because the content overlaps with the specified course. See Equivalent Courses. For example, HISTRY 355 has an unreq of RELIGST 355.

Waiver A waiver indicates that a student does not need to take a specified course. A waiver does not result in the awarding of credit.

WINS (Whitewater Information Network for Students) UW-Whitewater’s student computer system that is available for students to register for classes, check financial records, view Advising Reports, and access the schedule of classes.